A great question IMO. I look forward to reading the responses that might be forthcoming.I suspect that the alternatives will probably be singers in the UK who we in North America are not all that familiar with.I cannot completely disagree with your choice but I find that with some of his songs he does not sound like JR.But then again, I do not have that fine an ear foranswering questions like yours in a definitive manner. I await the choice of the "master (LJ) should he find the time to read and perhaps respond to your post.Cheers

I don't believe there is any so-called "soundalike voice" to Jim Reeves, who was a true original. Paul rushes his phrases, unlike Jim. He does a nice job and has a pleasant voice, but it is not as "round" as Reeves by far. Whose is?

Tom Tall, a young man who was part of the String Music Tour with Reeves, Ginny Wright, the Browns, et al in the Fabor Robison/Abbott days, once cut a song (the name of which escapes me at the moment) and he sounded eerily like Jim on some phrases. Until I studied it more closely I actually thought it WAS Reeves. Later, I got to know Tom, a very nice man, (who sadly has since passed away). He told me Fabor had specifically asked him to try to sing as closely as possible to Jim on that number, and he sure succeeded.

Other singers have done "Jim Reeves-style" songs and will sometimes hit some notes that sound really close to Reeves, but nobody seems capable of sustaining those intonations through an entire song.

Some of the best at covering Reeves material, such as Arne Benoni, do not try to sound like Jim. They are stylists in their own right and merely cover some of Jim's songs, but do so splendidly.

I do agree with you Larry, but from my point of view, here in the UK, it is singers like Paul Wheater that help keep the Jim Reeves genre alive and well.

Pop music has been big business for many years, and its fine for those who enjoy it, but I believe that each genre serves a different purpose.

For me I appreciate the kind of music that has pleasant easily recognisable lyrics that tell a story, sung by people that can convey feeling in a gentle relaxing way, and who have such good diction that I can hear every word.

Pop music was changing to something more raucous when I discovered Jim Reeves many years ago, and what a refreshing difference he made!

Now more recently, thanks to you, I have been able to increase my recorded JR stock substantially, and thanks to Paul Wheater in particular I have been able to tap into a host of lovely songs and performances that Jim might have recorded had he lived.

Martin I agree, also when Paul wheater sings non reeves songs he stills reminds one of jr which is a key test unlike Benoni who when singing non reeves songs sounds totally different and lacks distinctiveness. But guess it's a matter of taste.

Arne Benoni's voice "lacks distinctiveness" when singing non-Reeves songs? I totally disagree with your statement though respect your right to hold that opinion.

I invite you to listen to Arne sing "The Voice," which is a song I gave him, and that Mary Reeves had told me about years ago. In my book, "Jim Reeves: His Untold Story," I tell how Jim had planned to record this song on his next session.

I interviewed one of the songwriters, who told me how he and his co-writer pitched the song to Mary at the Reeves home in Madison one day when Jim was away.

To hear a song that Jim Reeves was going to record after his return from a planned Texas trip -- but never lived to complete -- click the link below to listen to the distinctive voice of Arne Benoni sing Jim's song.

I agree with Larry on Arne singing JR material such as 'The Voice,' his voice and phrasebook are similar to JR. Sure, there are differences, they are two different people, but very similar. Jim's performances on the road were always slightly different each time he sang a given song.